Infants and other incontinent individuals wear absorbent articles such as diapers to receive and contain urine and other body exudates. Absorbent articles function both to contain discharged materials and to isolate the materials from the body of the wearer and from the wearer's garments and bed clothing. Disposable absorbent articles having many different basic designs are known to the art.
A common form of a disposable absorbent article comprises a liquid pervious topsheet, an absorbent core and a liquid impervious backsheet, such as a polyethylene film. One of the obstacles that manufacturers of such disposable absorbent articles must overcome is that a certain number of mothers object to the feel of the diaper, and particularly object to the feel of the polyethylene film. Even though disposable diapers such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,860,003 entitled "Contractible Side Portions for Disposable Diaper" issued to Buell on Jan. 14, 1975, minimize and effectively eliminate contact between the backsheet and the infant's skin, many mothers remain convinced that plastic materials are not comfortable to an infant, and hence are reluctant to even try, let alone use, disposable diapers that include an exposed plastic backsheet. To meet this concern, disposable diaper manufacturers have devoted substantial time and effort to improve the feel and appearance of their products.
One solution to the above problem that has been proposed is to completely eliminate the plastic backsheet and replace it with a woven or nonwoven fabric that has been treated to be water-repellent. However, it has been found that it has not been possible to make a fibrous web sufficiently water-repellent to hold a large quantity of liquid within the diaper without sacrificing the sought after soft feel.
Another solution to the above problem that has been proposed is to deeply emboss the polyethylene backsheet to improve its drape and feel. A diaper with a deeply embossed backsheet has substantially improved drape and feel characteristics over a diaper wherein the backsheet is not embossed, or even lightly embossed, but such a backsheet still has the feel of a polyethylene film.
Another solution to the above problem that has been proposed is to adhere a fibrous outer layer to the plastic inner layer. A diaper with a fibrous outer layer adhered to the plastic inner layer not only has a pleasant external feel, but also enables a thinner gauge, less costly material to be used for the plastic layer, thereby making the diaper less stiff and more conformable. However, it has been found that adhering a nonwoven outer layer to the plastic inner layer adds some complexity in the manufacturing process such as the ability to secure fastening tapes to the disposable diaper. In addition, it has been found that the nonwoven when added to the plastic layer tends to inhibit the extensibility of the portions of the diaper which are intended to be extensible, e.g., the elasticized side panels.
Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide a disposable absorbent article with a fibrous outer layer that simplifies the manufacturing process and does not inhibit the extensibility of the extensible portions of the diaper.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a disposable absorbent article having a fibrous outer layer providing improved feel and comfort for the wearer.
These and other objectives of the present invention will be more readily apparent when considered in reference to the following description and when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.